Each day, staggering quantities of disposable needles are used in hospitals, clinics, and physicians' offices. Many such needles are attached to syringes which are not discarded with the needles. For example, a syringe of the type sold under the trademark VACUTAINER is used by securing a double needle to a needle retainer by screwing a threaded collar on the needle into a threaded opening in the end of the needle retainer. After the needle point outside the needle retainer is inserted into the patient's vein, a partially evacuated sample tube is forced onto the other needle point inside the retainer, and blood is sucked into the sample tube. The sample tube is removed and sent for analysis of its contents, and the needle retainer may be reused. Therefore, medical personnel typically remove the needle by unscrewing it, and place the needle in an approved disposal container.
Other types of syringes also use disposable needles with non-disposal suction devices. The needles may be connected by threaded screw connectors, luer locks, or the like. Disposable needles are typically fitted with plastic collars which have flange-like projections suitable for grasping with the fingers when twisting the needle into or out of the needle retaining portion of a syringe.
Personnel at hospitals and other medical facilities face a growing problem of safe disposal of needles because of the rise of diseases carried by the blood and other bodily fluids, such as AIDS. Manipulation of needle connectors after use can present a grave risk of being pricked by the exposed, contaminated needle. Attempts to insert the needle back into the protective sleeve provided for shipment create a similar risk. Past efforts to assist personnel in removing needles have reduced the danger somewhat, but have resulted in devices that are inconvenient to use. One such device is simply a container having a tapering slot in the top. The user holds the needle retainer, inserts the needle into the slot until the flanges of the collar are even with the slot, moves the needle into the smaller end of the slot until the flanges engage the slot, and twists the needle retainer to unscrew or unlock the needle, which falls into the container. This procedure has significant disadvantages. The user must position the needle carefully and supply the force necessary to rotate the needle retainer. Usually, the user must use two hands for the operation, one to steady the container, and one to manipulate the syringe and needle. This often results in the user laying down the used syringe for a time until both hands are available for removing the needle, rather than immediately placing the needle into a safe container. These disadvantages increase the opportunity and risk that a person will come into contact with the contaminated needle.
A significant attempt to overcome the above-discussed disadvantages in prior needle removal systems is the subject of U.S. Ser. No. 248,470, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,986,811. However, this application fails to address a number of significant problems still present in the art. First, a problem exists when the container in which contaminated needles are disposed reaches a point where it can no longer safely receive contaminated needles. When the container reaches a certain accumulation point, it is possible for disposed needles to escape through the openings into which needles are placed within the container.
Additionally, a problem exists in that hospital personnel often handle needles other than the type attached to syringes. Rather than require a second disposal unit for such needles, a need exists in the art for a needle removal system which removes both types of needles. However, in order to accommodate disposal of non-syringe attached needles, an opening must be included in the cover of the needle removal system. Such an opening invites spillage of disposed needles in the event that the needle removal container is knocked out of its normal, upright position.
Also, a problem exists in that some types of needles include a rubber sleeve which terminates is an enlarged ring next to their threads. When these needles are unthreaded, this rubber ring has a tendency to become caught in the unthreading means, thus interfering with safe disposal of the needle.
Thus, a need exists in the art for a needle removal system which can remove the disposable needle from the syringe with minimal non-precise manipulation of the needle and syringe using only one hand.
In addition, a need exists in the art for a needle removal system which prevents removal of additional needles when the container holding disposed needles cannot safely receive further needles, and a need also exists in the art for permitting disposal of needles of the type not attached to syringes, in a manner that does not invite spillage of disposed needles if the needle removal container is knocked over. A need also exists for automatically separating a needle from a syringe after unthreading the needle from the syringe.